Hyderabad: A 55-year-old patient had a tumour removed successfully from the brain.
Nothing unique there.
What made this surgery a special one was the fact that the patient was watching a movie even as doctors performed the surgery at Government General Hospital, in Kakinada.
The innovative approach, known as ‘Awake Craniotomy,’ allowed the patient to remain fully conscious throughout the delicate procedure.
Anantalakshmi was glued to ‘Adhurs’ — a 2010 movie featuring her favourite actor Jr NTR and Nayanthara — while a team of doctors went about the job of taking out the tumour.
Watch a video clip shared on X by a journalist:
Doctors Successfully Perform Brain Surgery While Showing Patient NTR’s ‘Adhurs’ Movie
Doctors at the Government General Hospital (GGH) in Kakinada successfully removed a brain tumor from a female patient through “Awake Craniotomy” while showing her favorite movie, Adhurs,… pic.twitter.com/ZKw81PUpUa
— Sudhakar Udumula (@sudhakarudumula) September 18, 2024
The surgery was performed without damaging critical nerves, the first of its kind at the hospital.
Anantalakshmi, from A. Kothapalli, a village in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district, was suffering from symptoms such as weakness in her right arm and leg. She couldn’t afford treatment at any of the private hospitals that she visited, as costs were prohibitively expensive.
She was finally admitted to the Government General Hospital on September 11, after complaining of severe headaches, fainting and numbness on the right side of her body.
Tests revealed a 3.3 x 2.7 cm tumour on the left side of her brain.
The medical team, under supervision of senior doctors and anaesthetists, decided to go for ‘Awake Craniotomy’, keeping Anantalakshmi awake under minimal sedation.
Her favourite comedy scenes from ‘Adhurs’ were played on a tab to keep the patient distracted.
The surgery on Tuesday lasted for about two-and-a-half hours, but Anantalakshmi remained blissfully unaware of the procedure.
She was able to sit up and have breakfast afterwards, and is expected to be discharged within five days.
“Patients are kept awake during the procedure so they can respond to questions and ensure no nerves are damaged,” explained Dr A. Vishnuvardhan, head of Anaesthesiology department, and Dr Vijaysekhar, head of Neurosurgery.